The Steelers have scoffed at the notion of a Super Bowl hangover. That started only minutes after winning the championship last February in Tampa.

But when you look at Steelers history and the year after a Super Bowl victory, a long losing streak is almost inevitable.

When the Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday, it was their fourth consecutive defeat, which tied for the second longest losing streak in NFL history for a defending Super Bowl champion.

The 2002 New England Patriots, the 1998 Denver Broncos and the 1976 Steelers all lost four games in a row the year after winning the Super Bowl.

In all instances, the team failed to make the playoffs that year except for the '76 Steelers.

A loss Thursday night in Cleveland would tie the record set by the 1987 New York Giants, who lost five consecutive games a year after winning the Super Bowl.

Since the first Super Bowl in 1966, 13 times the defending champion has lost at least three games in a row the year after winning the title. The Raiders lost three in a row in 1981 as the Oakland Raiders and again in 1984 as the Los Angeles Raiders.

The Giants also lost three in a row the year after the shocking Super XXV win over the Buffalo Bills.

But nobody has come close to the Steelers and big losing streaks the year after winning a Super Bowl.

The Steelers have won a record six Super Bowls. Twice, they defended their title, but four times they followed with a big losing streak the next season.

The first instance came in 1976, the year after the Steelers defeated Dallas in Super Bowl X when they started the season 1-4 before winning their final nine to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

After winning Super Bowl XIV over the Los Angeles Rams, the Steelers had another three-game losing streak the following year and failed to make the playoffs. That team lost to Cincinnati, Oakland and Cleveland in the middle of the season and finished 9-7.

In 2006, the year after winning Super Bowl XL, the Steelers lost six of their first eight games that year, including three in a row at Atlanta, at Oakland and home against Denver. The Steelers failed to make the playoffs and finished the season at 8-8.

The Steelers even had a Super Bowl hangover of sorts after the lost to Dallas in 1995. The next season, the Steelers lost three of four and four of their final seven games, including the playoffs.

Twice, the Steelers never lost two in a two in a row following a Super Bowl appearance and that was in 1975 and 1979, ironically, the two years they won back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

BradshawsHairdresser

12-09-2009, 04:08 PM

I've been saying this for awhile now...The Steelers have been playing as though winning the big one last season will automatically translate into wins this season. It hasn't and it won't. Hopefully, they are finally waking up...

JTP53609

12-10-2009, 09:29 AM

they were lucky to get out of detroit with a win this year too, this is why i am scared of the browns tonight, they played us hard into the fourth qtr at heinz.....

SteelAbility

12-10-2009, 09:39 AM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

JTP53609

12-10-2009, 11:50 AM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

while I do agree with you, I think that the raiders and chiefs are the games we should have won had those easy catches you mention be made...

I think that Miller drop in K.C. may be the turning point of the season, had he caught that I believe we go up 24-7 and it is smooth sailing the rest of the game, which means ben gets no concussion, which means ben plays in baltimore and we have a better shot at winning that game with our starter, and than we are not backs up against the wall against oakland and play with the confidence rather than negativity....just my thoughts...Love Heath, but that drop really depleated this team

BradshawsHairdresser

12-10-2009, 12:34 PM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

If this team had played with the focus and urgency it displayed last season, it would not have come down to "one routine easy catch" in any of those games...We would have won all four of those games going away.

Super Bowl hangover.

JTP53609

12-10-2009, 12:41 PM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

If this team had played with the focus and urgency it displayed last season, it would not have come down to "one routine easy catch" in any of those games...We would have won all four of those games going away.

Super Bowl hangover.

last year we were the cardiac kids, with last minute wins at , jax, s.d., dallas, baltimore (2X), the difference was that our offense was on the field to win the game (exept for dallas) this year our defense has been on to lose it.

SteelAbility

12-10-2009, 01:54 PM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

while I do agree with you, I think that the raiders and chiefs are the games we should have won had those easy catches you mention be made...

I think that Miller drop in K.C. may be the turning point of the season, had he caught that I believe we go up 24-7 and it is smooth sailing the rest of the game, which means ben gets no concussion, which means ben plays in baltimore and we have a better shot at winning that game with our starter, and than we are not backs up against the wall against oakland and play with the confidence rather than negativity....just my thoughts...Love Heath, but that drop really depleated this team

You don't remember Sweed dropping one wide open in the EZ in Cincy? Actually, Santonio had 3 easy drops that I can remember in the Chicago game.

SteelAbility

12-10-2009, 01:57 PM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

If this team had played with the focus and urgency it displayed last season, it would not have come down to "one routine easy catch" in any of those games...We would have won all four of those games going away.

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

If this team had played with the focus and urgency it displayed last season, it would not have come down to "one routine easy catch" in any of those games...We would have won all four of those games going away.

It is hard to compare what happened after XL to what is happening now because the coaching staff is different and there is so much player turnover. If you look at the starting lineup in SBXL vs. the starting lineup tonight, there are 3 of the same faces on defense (Hampton, Farrior, and Taylor) and three-and-a-half on offense (Roethlisberger, Ward, and Miller...the "half" is for Starks, who was also starter then, but at a different position). Only about a third of our current roster was on the SBXL team, so the majority of the roster haven't been fooled the first time after SBXL.

Jooser

12-10-2009, 04:51 PM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

If this team had played with the focus and urgency it displayed last season, it would not have come down to "one routine easy catch" in any of those games...We would have won all four of those games going away.

It is hard to compare what happened after XL to what is happening now because the coaching staff is different and there is so much player turnover. If you look at the starting lineup in SBXL vs. the starting lineup tonight, there are 3 of the same faces on defense (Hampton, Farrior, and Taylor) and three-and-a-half on offense (Roethlisberger, Ward, and Miller...the "half" is for Starks, who was also starter then, but at a different position). Only about a third of our current roster was on the SBXL team, so the majority of the roster haven't been fooled the first time after SBXL.

:roll: Tomlin basher. Just come on out now say you hate him! :D :lol: :lol: :lol:

SteelAbility

12-10-2009, 05:47 PM

Right now we are dealing with a "catch the easy ball delivered right to your hands or chest" slumber. I can think of 4 games right off where ONE routine easy catch would have won the game for us ...

Raiders (Burnett)
Chiefs (Miller, resulted in a TO that KC converted to a TD. We were driving at mid-field)
Bears (Holmes)
Bengals (Sweed)

We could and should easily be 10-2 right now.

If this team had played with the focus and urgency it displayed last season, it would not have come down to "one routine easy catch" in any of those games...We would have won all four of those games going away.

It is hard to compare what happened after XL to what is happening now because the coaching staff is different and there is so much player turnover. If you look at the starting lineup in SBXL vs. the starting lineup tonight, there are 3 of the same faces on defense (Hampton, Farrior, and Taylor) and three-and-a-half on offense (Roethlisberger, Ward, and Miller...the "half" is for Starks, who was also starter then, but at a different position). Only about a third of our current roster was on the SBXL team, so the majority of the roster haven't been fooled the first time after SBXL.

Well, then it's on the guys who were there to have the Dutch Uncle talk about this problem. The others ... well ...

1. Some people learn from others' mistakes
2. Some people learn from their own mistakes
3. Some damn fools never learn.